NATURAL BRIDGE ZOO

NATURAL BRIDGE ZOO Reviews

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Loved it

Yesterday, We spent the day at the Natural Bridge ...

Yesterday, We spent the day at the Natural Bridge Zoo with our son, daughter-in-law, our young grandchildren (a two year old and a baby), and their great-grandmother. It was so much fun. It is a small zoo, and so, don't expect elaborate, grand exhibits, but the animals are, for the most part in well spaced areas, with good toys and activities (when appropriate). The staff was very busy caring for the animals the whole time we were there, feeding, watering and cleaning, which was great to see, and a good way to help teach the children about responsibilities associated with keeping animals in captivity, including pets at home. The zoo was extremely interactive for the children, including an elephant ride where the staff was very friendly and helpful. I did feel bad that the elephant seems to be the only one there, since elephants are social animals, but she seemed to be cared for by the people who were working with her. The parakeet exhibit was awesome and most of the children and parents we saw loved it . even the 6 month old we had loved having the birds land on her hand.
This Zoo has a gotten a bad reputation, mostly because of people who clearly like to complain without providing a solution. Caring for animals is never easy, and the reality is that there are many animals in captivity who could not survive any place else, so instead of complaining HELP. Support local small zoo's. Volunteer, join the board, staff etc. Put your passions into action. stop sitting on the sidelines complaining and get out there and actually work in these places to help make them the best they can be.

This "zoo" is pathetic. I wish I could post pictur...

This "zoo" is pathetic. I wish I could post pictures. I'm here now with the class I work with. The animal habitats for these large animals like the tigers are pathetic and empty with maybe one platform to lay on and less than a bathtubs worth of water. The bobcats was worse, the had a dog houses for their shelter and a pool that could probably hold 10 gallons or water. All the other animals were just as bad off. The llamas and camels had dirty matted fur. When one of the children pointed out how dirty the elephant was, another of my class's staff made a joke about giving him a bath. A zoo employee angrily yelled he just had a bath and that's what color they're supposed to be then started angrily muttering we should've read the material. I would never come back with my family.

5 star reviewers must be blind or friends of the o...

5 star reviewers must be blind or friends of the owners. Cages were way too small for the animals especially the Tigers, elephant and bear! Really sad place. Bunch of country bumpkins running this place.

Horrible place.

Horrible place.
"Many uninformed, but well meaning people, believe that all exotic animals belong free in their natural habitat. What they don t realize is that in many instances, the wild habitat has been degraded due to lumbering, poaching, agriculture, and human encroachment. We, at the Natural Bridge Zoo, have been breeding threatened and endangered species for over 45 years."
Those exotic animals whose habitats are destroyed belong in animal refugee sites, not roadside zoos where people shoot cats in the head or beat their animals.
Disgusting place and disgusting people. There is no excuse for animal cruelty. If you don't know how to properly care for these animals and all you want to do is make money off of them, go into a different business. Animals don't need people like you. You're not doing them a favor, you're trying to get money into your pocket at whatever cost.

This zoo sucks. I saw a video when I was doing a t...

This zoo sucks. I saw a video when I was doing a topic about zoo abuse. So I searched up "zoo abuse" and I found this zoo. This zoo abused more than I had seen anyone do in their whole life.

Nice

THIS IS ANIMAL CRUELTY X100000 AND THIS DUMP NEEDS...

THIS IS ANIMAL CRUELTY X100000 AND THIS DUMP NEEDS TO BE SHUT DOWN

asha, a 35-year-old female, African elephant has been alone at the Natural Bridge Zoo in Virginia for an accumulative 22 years. She is forced to give over 10,000 rides a year, despite active tuberculosis findings in monkeys held at the zoo. This is a huge risk to the public who are in close proximity to her on a daily basis. Her toenails are cracked due to lack of foot care, and the zoo has been cited for failing to provide adequate veterinary care across the board. These are just a handful of the issues she faces on a daily basis.

Just looking at the elephant s eyes, you can see t...

Just looking at the elephant s eyes, you can see the distraught feelings. If anyone reading this is an animal lover, you should stay away from this place. COMPLETE RIP OFF AS WELL!!! It was a short tour of animals that were in small cages or small enclosures. I requested a refund afterwards because of what I saw. NEVER AGAIN!!! I wish I could give this place zero stars!!!

This zoo is disgusting and needs to be shut down! ...

This zoo is disgusting and needs to be shut down! They treat their animals like dirt and don t care for them properly at all! These animals are all suffering and should not be in an environment like this. DO NOT SUPPORT THIS ZOO! Think of the animals for once!!!

Please do your research before visiting these poor...

Please do your research before visiting these poor animals at this zoo. The animals are abused and lonely; especially Asha the elephant, who has been there for 31 years and is forced to give rides in the heat. HOW is this practice even legal when using such an emotional and intelligent animal? Sadly, she has only a single tire to play with and doesn t have the room an elephant needs to be happy. When the zoo shuts down in the winter, a USDA investigation found out that Asha spends majority of the time in a damp, cold barn with a concrete floor. When the zoo is open, she spends her time in her small pen, rocking back and forth, clearly experiencing depression. After this many years of abuse in this disgusting zoo, she belongs in a sanctuary. PLEASE just do a quick google search on this zoo and how their animals are treated and how animals express happy behavior before visiting and/writing reviews stating that the animals look healthy . They do not. They do not exhibit healthy and happy behavior. If you want to learn about animals, stop visiting this zoo and go to a zoo that actually takes care of their animals. What you are teaching to your children by going with them, is that animal abuse is acceptable.

Such a sad environment :( staff is very nice, and ...

Such a sad environment :( staff is very nice, and very helpful, but the animals just look so sad. Their fur was matted and looks like it hasnt been brushed in years, and the giraffes were on gravel the entire time.

I would give zero stars if I could. Animals here a...

I would give zero stars if I could. Animals here are kept in disgusting conditions, do not receive medical attention, are underfed, regularly die form preventable illnesses, and are not treated with respect. The Humane Society of the United States released footage of an undercover operation here on YouTube, watch it yourself. Do not support this business!

One of the best zoos I've ever been to!!! It might...

One of the best zoos I've ever been to!!! It might be a little small but it allows you to be very interactive with the animals. You get to feed goats, dear, camels, bongos, and giraffes. Spend time with parakeets in an aviator. If you go on the right day you get to ride an elephant! The best part is it's all very affordable!!!

Visited the states and stumbled across this zoo wh...

Visited the states and stumbled across this zoo while visiting america drove past it seemed interesting. This place is like death row for animals im surprised america doesn't have laws to stop this. Animals seem broken the zoo had a horrible atmosphere.

Animal cruelty at it's finest. No real zoo operate...

Animal cruelty at it's finest. No real zoo operates like this. There is a petition to be released on getting the elephant removed. How anyone can leave here in a good mood is beyond me. And how you even stay in business is even Wilder.

Cool

Do people not read the reviews or more importantly...

Do people not read the reviews or more importantly have they not heard about how awful zoos and circuses are?! The owner is a lying pos! This place needs to be closed down for good! And people need to wake up and stop supporting animal abuse and neglect! These animals are miserable at best! Shame on everybody!!!

DO NOT SUPPORT!!!!!! Research before going here!Th...

DO NOT SUPPORT!!!!!! Research before going here!The elephant in the zoo has been the focus of a lot of negative attention due to the deplorable conditions and lack of care he has received. He was stripped from his family by the owner and is forced to gives rides to people all day, everyday for 31 years, alone. He is lonely and deprived of any comfort from his our race. An undercover agent worked at the zoo which resulted in the zoo being given fine after fine for neglectful conditions ( YouTube what natural bridge zoo hid from the public ) has 1.2 million views. It has been shut down temporarily several times. Paid 22k in fines, they have been slapped with 18 different animal cruelty citations. Animals are commonly struck or beaten. Tiger cubs are starved so they can easily be controlled during photos. A giraffe named Gabrielle was killed on property due to lack of healthy conditions and accidentally ate poisoning. Many injured animals are not cared for. Do your own research but for God sack do not give them your money.

Doesn't even deserve one star, but that's a low as...

Doesn't even deserve one star, but that's a low as the scale goes. Animals kept in terribly close quarters. The saddest thing I saw was a single elephant standing alone, very still and appearing to have a broken spirit. I'm sure she does, as elephants are highly intelligent social pack animals- and this poor soul is alone 24/7. This is cruel torture in my opinion. If you visit you are supporting it. So don't. I was with my son on a field trip and am truly in awe that a school would even take kids to such a repulsive place. I won't be back nor will my children. If this zoo owner has one ounce of decency and/or genuine love and concern for animals, he should show it by starting with getting that elephant to a sanctuary.

This place may have some things that are OK but th...

This place may have some things that are OK but this place is all about profit at the expense of the animals. Keeping a single elephant alone all these years is not a very humane act. Elephants are social animals and need to have company. They need to send Asha to a place to be with more elephants to be happy. Money is not all there is. The people that own this place are greedy and cruel.

We enjoyed our visit and did not see any mistreatm...

We enjoyed our visit and did not see any mistreatment of animals. I would recommend this as a definite stop when visiting the area. Didnt know they had all of the activities they did. Even riding an elephant which I thought was only out of the country.

How is this place still open & getting good review...

How is this place still open & getting good reviews? These animals are very clearly suffering. Feel awful about giving my $ to these people. The bears looked majorly depressed/unwell (in a super small enclosure) and the elephant was undeniably in rough shape. Monkeys were also crammed together in a small area. Ugh. Go to the safari instead: those animals are well cared for and you can tell.

The zoo has a pretty decent collection of diverse ...

The zoo has a pretty decent collection of diverse animals. Some of the enclosures are rather small, but the animals seemed well taken care of and none displayed any signs of boredom. You can ride an elephant for $6 and feed the animals for $1/bag. The zoo can be completed in roughly an hour. Since most paths are gravel and it's in a hilly area, it's difficult to maneuver a stroller or wheelchair.

My girlfriend loves elephants, we drove all the wa...

My girlfriend loves elephants, we drove all the way from East Tennessee (4 hours) and loved it. We had a ball, I work at a safari back in Tennessee and thought that the animals were taken well care of, the staff was absolutely great. They got out the tiger for us so we could see it.
I would recommend this place to anyone, the 4 hour drive was definitely worth it.
Great experience.

This place is perfect for the family to visit they...

This place is perfect for the family to visit they have a huge gift shop and great gifts I love their jewelry so pretty and the stones are lovely most of the jewelry is homemade there's a lot of steps to go down to get to their little restaurant but don't let the little part fool you the taste of their food is huge delicious also you have to walk down those steps to get to the bridge and its magnificently beautiful this place gets a 20 star rating from me but you better wear good walking shoes and be prepared to get exercise walking but its worth the little bit of muscle pain the next day to enjoy their must see bridge don't forget your camera you'll want to show everyone this bridge its totally amazing so what are you waiting for you there yet?

I live in West Virginia and don't live too far fro...

I live in West Virginia and don't live too far from this place. I've been once when I was younger and am absolutely disgusted. These people abuse the animals that live in this hell hole and NEEDS TO BE SHUT DOWN IMMEDIATELY. Please for the love of all that is good do not support this place. Do not go. If you love animals please avoid this zoo. It is absolutely aweful.

Please, tell us more about all of the animal cruel...

Please, tell us more about all of the animal cruelty charges against you and why you feel the need to remain open? For the sake of all of the innocent lives you re putting in danger, shut your doors and give those animals to programs who actually care.

From my visit 2014: It was ok. My ex husband and I...

From my visit 2014: It was ok. My ex husband and I went there on my sons field trip. I wouldn't rate the staff very high. None of them were really friendly. The elephant ride was very short. I have been to a smaller petting zoo with longer rides than that for the same price. The animals were really confined in there. A few of the monkeys looked like they were fighting to get out of their really small cage (fitting for a few parrots). The zoo is too small and they have quite a bit of land around to expand. Everything was overpriced for the experience. If you want a good zoo where the staff actually cares about the animals you are better off visiting the Smithsonian National Zoological Park.

Update 2015: I cannot say I am shocked about it being shut down. From my last visit I could tell the animals looked unhappy. I am glad what was really happening has been exposed. Hopefully this place shuts down for good.

When I arrived at the Natural Bridge Zoo I was sur...

When I arrived at the Natural Bridge Zoo I was surprise that there was nobody attending the admission booths and no cars in line. I could see a women with her back to me inside the main building "talking". Since I had never been to this zoo I thought maybe I should park and walk inside to pay. BIG MISTAKE. I made it about 20 feet threw the gate and heard this women screaming at me to stop. I guess she thought it was time to end her conversation. I simply put the car in reverse and backed up the entire time she is giving me a "tongue lashing" about how this is a admission booth and this is how it works. VERY RUDE VERY UNPROFFESSIONAL NASTY ATTITUDE. Her name was JANET and she welcome me and my entire family to the park by screaming at me, and my 18 moth old daughter. Sorry a customer made a simple mistake because wasn't doing your job.

There was bird poop all over sidewalk and fencing ...

There was bird poop all over sidewalk and fencing outside of bathrooms.. the animals look so sad and NOT taken care of! Asha looked depressed! The camel had matted fur, stunk to the high heavens, and had flies all over him! The donkey.. OMG! Couldn t see for the long fur in it s eyes and matted! Stumbling around.. giraffes looked sick! Even the alligator looked depressed! You couldn t see the snakes because the glass was so dirty! Alot of money paid to see animals being mistreated! Hunane society needs to step in! Makes me mad and sad!!! that s all I ve thought about since visiting there!

Second time visiting. Super cute. Lots of differen...

Second time visiting. Super cute. Lots of different animals. Very nice place to walk around and let little guys and gals feed and touch. Elephant rides. The parrot house is so fun. Gift shop is awesome. Been to some big big zoos and this little one is really up there on my list.

I know everyone is upset about the elephant Asha b...

I know everyone is upset about the elephant Asha but it really is that bad. She was alone. There was little interaction with her and she had no place for shade. Animals are not our entertainment. Forcing her to give people rides in the summer is ludacris. Absolutely disgusting. How would you handle being alone?

This zoo is a horrible place that you should NEV...

This zoo is a horrible place that you should NEVER take yourself or anyone you know. The animal abuse here is unbelievable and I m surprised they haven t been shut down yet for they re treatment, care, and room for the animals. They ve had multiple violations and there are even undercover videos of animals being abused and not taken care of properly. One of those videos posted by the Humane Society of the United States shows the abuse and the video is called: What Natural Bridge Zoo Hid From the Public is Horrifying!

I have chosen not to give my money to this zoo. I ...

I have chosen not to give my money to this zoo. I want my children to see that all living creatures should be treated with respect and care. The pictures of the elephant on their website looks like she is in misery. God Bless her.

Love the zoo! There are a lot of animals to see an...

Love the zoo! There are a lot of animals to see and they are all well fed. We are happy that we could see the animals very close up. Feeding them is fun and they are very friendly. Recommend to get a big size bag of food to feed them since you run out of the food fast.

Horrified at what I just saw about this pathetic e...

Horrified at what I just saw about this pathetic excuse for a zoo on YouTube (look it up, for those who want to come here.) This place must either shut down, or hire new workers who can CARE for the animals, NOT ABUSE THEM. You people are barbarians, and I am horrified places like these exist.

Took my granddaughter for her birthday today and s...

Took my granddaughter for her birthday today and she loved it. All the staff were busy looking after the animals but were friendly and informative also. All the animals had food & water. We especially enjoyed the parakeet house and the elephant ride.

Loved the zoo. You could tell the animals were wel...

Loved the zoo. You could tell the animals were well taken care of and well loved. I saw many zoo staff members tending to different animals and their needs while I spent the whole day there. All the animals look very healthy. Clean bathrooms and friendly staff

Okay

Why is this place still open? Horrific, monstrous ...

Why is this place still open? Horrific, monstrous abuse of the animals by the staff. Undercover video of the abuse is hard to watch. This zoo has been investigated numerous times by the USDA. It should be closed permanently, and the staff charged with animal abuse. I didn't want to give it even one star, but I had to in order to post this.

NO NO NO! Riding an elephant is one of the worst w...

NO NO NO! Riding an elephant is one of the worst ways to abuse it. Any weight on an elephant's back destroys their delicate spines, and any outfit offering something so horrific must be avoided at all costs!

Sanctuaries exist to rescue the abused beasts and give them love and care they didn't have over years of carrying unaware tourists in excruciating pain on their backs.

Please don't, and spread the word. A Google search will provide dozens of articles warning against this abusive practice.

Honestly I expected more, for the price! And the w...

Honestly I expected more, for the price! And the website all details and got there, Very disappointed. If you are willing to travel a long distance like we did... 3 hour drive for this. Nope not again

I absolutely loved every minute of the Natural Bri...

I absolutely loved every minute of the Natural Bridge Zoo. The staff was wonderful and at times stopped to give us endless backstory on the animals. The animals are very well taken care of and I will most definitely be sharing my experience with others. Also, the elephant was BEAUTIFUL!

These guys are currently under investigation by th...

These guys are currently under investigation by the USDA. They have already had their state license suspended once and their federal license suspended twice and have been ordered to pay more than $22,000 in penalties over the years.

They should do what is best for Asha and retire her to an accredited sanctuary, where she will have the opportunity to roam, forage, wallow, and explore a large, naturalistic habitat.

At an accredited sanctuary, Asha would never be isolated. At the very least, she would be able to see, hear, and smell other elephants and have the opportunity to interact safely with them from a distance. Eventually, she might even be able to share an enclosure and form social bonds. Natural Bridge Zoo simply cannot provide her with the socialization, space, and care that she deserves. If you truly care about Asha's well-being, you will act in her best interests and let her spend the remainder of her days at an accredited sanctuary such as The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.

This zoo has been fined numerous times for various...

This zoo has been fined numerous times for various violations. They keep Asha, their elephant in poor and unkept conditions and have failed repeatedly to care for her properly. Elephants are also not meant to be ridden at all. Do not give a disgrace of a place your money!!!

It is KEY to note that the Natural Bridge Zoo is D...

It is KEY to note that the Natural Bridge Zoo is DIFFERENT than the Natural Bridge Safari Park and Zoo - they are about a mile or two apart on the same road. The Safari Park and Zoo is wonderful and I would highly recommend both - we drove through the Safari Park then walked through the zoo portion. The cages were clean and well done. The NB Zoo has a much cheaper admittance - but well over half of the cages have NO natural habitat. Many of the animals are listless, dirty and look miserable. Some of the cages look like some effort went into making them somewhat of a "natural" or "wild" habitat, however, the majority do not. The exception to this would be the open canary cage - where you can walk in and feed the birds. It was clean, the birds had plenty of space to fly & perch. It was our favorite exhibit.
As a Zoo, the Natural Bridge Zoo is NOT a place I would recommend. Better to spend your time and money at the Safari Park and Zoo.

Please do not support this establishment the anima...

Please do not support this establishment the animals are abused not kept in sanitary conditions, and they are not given respect. I strongly recommend the Natural Bridge safari park but please do not give this place a second thought